Sawing is a conventionally used process for the cutting up of elongated metal workpieces, such as metal bars and metal wires. Moreover, milling operations are commonly used for cutting off extruded workpieces of uniform cross section, in order to assure the proper length, and with ends thereon perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the workpiece. Various methods of shearing have been attempted for accomplishing a shearing operation on a metal bar workpiece. U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,364 dated May 24, 1966, and issued to Ferenc Veres, et al discloses a method and apparatus for cutting up a metal bar by shearing and wherein the latter is subjected to a compressive force applied to the bar in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bar, to facilitate the shearing operation. Also in U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,674 issued July 6, 1971, to Teizo Maeda, there is disclosed a method of shearing bar material by holding the bar workpiece in position adjacent the point of the shearing so as to restrain axial movement while pressure shearing by vertical movement against the axis of the workpiece. U.S. Pat. No. 3,651,683 dated Mar. 28, 1972, discloses a cold molding press having means for shearing off an unwanted overlength portion of a workpiece.